Introduction
The Black Church has long played a significant role in the life of the African American community. The church was for the Black people, not only a place of spiritual enlightenment and development but also a center of support, education, public gatherings, and an inspirer of change. However, the church plays an increasingly diminishing role in modern society as many people question religious rules and rituals, especially religious institutions. However, since the historic Black Church was more for Black people than a place of spiritual enlightenment, its role may still be significant in the United States of the 21st century. For this reason, this literature review aims to explore the function of the Black church in modern society to clarify its role in the 21st century.
The Black Church as an Agent of Change in the US Public Sphere
The role and participation of the Black church in the US public life determine Barber in her article. The author reviews the role of the black church in history, noting that it went from an “invisible institution” during the time of slavery to an organization that played a central role in the struggle for Black people’s rights (Barber, 2020). Analyzing the current position of the Black Church, Barber (2020) argues that government policy forces the church to participate in the public sphere. For example, neoliberalism suggests that the private sector should take responsibility for the provision of social services. Hence, the church organizes support centers for its parishioners without adequate federal assistance or connects them with secular social services. Simultaneously, the Black Church remains one of the few institutions that deal with racially specific problems in a colorblind era by providing legal services or internship and training programs to Black (Barber, 2020). Thus, the author notes the importance of the participation of the Black church in the public sphere as an agent of change and a connecting link for people of color who need help from the state.
The Black Church as an Agent of Change and Internationalization
Hopkins speaks about the role of the Black Church in the struggle for global change. According to Hopkins (2016), the Black Church must follow a path of internationalization that will lead to equality and prosperity for all people for several reasons. Firstly, the Black community is international in nature as it was created from people of different cultures and nationalities and remains so today. Secondly, the Black Church has a long tradition of fighting for the well-being of black people, not only in the United States but globally. This fact is confirmed by the activity of Black pastors like King and Fannie Lou Hamer and organizations like the Black Theology Project in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Hopkins, 2016). Thirdly, the Black Church follows Jesus’ mission by bringing good news and preaching the liberation of the oppressed and the poor (Hopkins, 2016). Thus, in the author’s opinion, the primary role of the Black Church is to internalize for the sake of helping black communities around the world overcome the consequences of oppression. However, he does not reject the main mission of religion to achieve equality and justice in society as a whole.
The Black Church as Influencer of Politics
The role of the Black Church in politics also remains significant, as Augustine demonstrates in his article. Augustine (2020) examines the reasons and conditions for the church to be politicized and act as an agent of political change in society. The author explores the sources and compares the current situation of the Black community with the conditions of the Civil Rights Movement to determine the role of the church in modern politics (Augustine, 2020). The analysis demonstrates that in the Trump era, the Black Church must influence political decision-making, since the position of the president jeopardizes the rights of racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, Augustine (2020) notes that the Black Community needs to hire lobbyists to form legislation and professionals to bring about public change or partner with government agencies to achieve equality of opportunity. These facts demonstrate that the Black Church must be involved in politics. In other words, the author concludes that the socio-political conditions dictated by Trump’s rhetoric require the intervention of the Black community, and the church, as one of the main centers of its unification, must support it financially and ideologically.
The Black Church in Education Improvement
In his essay “Closing the educational gap”, Latimore talks about the role of the Black church in improving education. Latimore (2017) examines the historical role of the Black church and notes that it was the primary source and organization that promoted literacy in the population during and after slavery. Only the church had sufficient resources and interest to initiate educational change, since it was a place where parishioners could pool their efforts and money (Latimore, 2012). The modern education system also creates a knowledge gap for Black children as most schools are located in areas that do not have sufficient resources to provide children with everything they need and hire highly qualified teachers. For this reason, Latimore (2017) talks about the need to use the experience and resources of the Black Church to close the educational gap and also notes that reducing this gap contributes to solving structural racial inequalities. In this way, the Black church can also play a significant role in improving education, and hence, the employment of Black people.
The Black Church Role in HIV Prevention
Black churches can also play a role in improving public health, including HIV prevention among gay and bisexual men, as noted by Jeffries et al. The authors suggest that since the church has a significant influence on the opinion of its parishioners, the promotion of preventive measures by various methods is necessary (Jeffries et al., 2017). For example, regardless of preachers’ attitudes toward homosexuality, they can educate congregations about prevention, contraception, and testing and link them to appropriate healthcare resources. In addition, scripture and the liberation theory traditionally used by Black Churches preach compassion, love, and respect for the oppressed and suffering (Jeffries et al., 2017). Consequently, preachers can use these ideas to reduce stigma and thereby stimulate the use of preventive measures. Thus, the Black church can play a role in HIV prevention by using the opportunity to convey information to its congregations.
Discussion
The literature review demonstrates that most authors see the role of the Black Church in its participation in the public life of the population to improve the situation of the Black community. All authors analyze and use the experience of the past to substantiate the possibilities and role of the church in the modern context, which is an appropriate approach as ideas adapt according to current realities. Nevertheless, in most cases, the authors focus on the political and public functions of the church rather than on its religious purpose. This factor can mean a shift in the perception of the church by people or the perception of a religious function as fundamental and integral. Consequently, the literature review concludes that the Black Church plays a significant role in the religious, political, and social life of the US population.
The reviewed sources are of high quality and relevant to the study of the topic, but they have some drawbacks. For example, while Augustine (2020) highlights several important factors, Trump’s presidency is now over, requiring a revision of some ideas. Simultaneously, although Jeffries et al. (2017) talk about the different attitudes of preachers towards homosexuality, they do not consider the situation in which priests condemn sex outside of marriage and STDs as its consequences. Nevertheless, each of the sources analyzes and evaluates the various roles of the Black Church in the life of the Black community based on historical facts and current data, which indicates the reliability of the authors’ ideas.
Conclusion
Therefore, the literature review shows that the Black church plays a significant role in society. First, the authors state the need for the Black Church to participate in the public sphere of the United States and the world to contribute to the empowerment of the Black community. Secondly, the church must also influence political trends and decisions in the state to protect the rights of Black citizens and combat racial and social inequality. Thirdly, the church must use its resources and expertise to close the educational gap between children of color and white students. Finally, the Black Church can use its influence on parishioners to spread HIV prevention information, reduce stigma, and promote testing. Thus, this diversity of roles demonstrates that, in addition to its religious function, The Black Church remains one of the central unifying element of the Black community.
References
Augustine, J.C. (2020). And when does the Black church get political?: Responding in the era of Trump and making the Black church great again, Hastings Race & Poverty Law Journal, 17(1), 87-132.
Barber, K. (2015). Whither shall we go? The past and present of Black churches and the public sphere. Religions, 6(1), 245–265.
Hopkins, D. W. (2016). The Black church and its mission for the twenty-first century. In A. B. Pollard III and C. B. Duncan (Eds.), The Black church studies reader (pp. 265-278). Palgrave Macmillian.
Jeffries IV, W. L., Sutton, M. Y., & Eke, A. N. (2017). On the battlefield: The Black Church, public health, and the fight against HIV among African American gay and bisexual men. Journal of Urban Health, 94(3), 384–398.
Latimore, C. H. (2017). Closing the education gap: The hidden potential of the Black church. In E.W. Gordon, B. Jean-Louis, & N. Obiora (Eds.), Strengthening families, communities and schools to support children’s development (pp. 83-100). Routledge.